New Bomber Program 'Underway' But Cloaked in Secrecy

AolDefense ^ | 2/24/2012 | Colin Clark

[U-238]

America's new long-range bomber program is "underway," will involve somewhere between 80 and 100 planes and will be delivered sometime in the mid-2020's. "And that's about all we're saying," Air Force Secretary Mike Donley told reporters. It's been known for some time that the bombers will not fly alone but will be part of a family of systems that may include UAVs and other systems.

The really interesting part of all this is the secrecy and why it's so dark. It would seem to indicate several things: that the U.S. does not want potential competitors such as China or Russia to know how advanced a system will be delivered or exactly what capabilities it will involve; that the Air Force is still putting the larger architecture together, deciding which capabilities will be available.

The bomber will almost certainly include an unmanned capability, but no one has made a formal decision yet, an Air Force source told me. Many of the important subsystems have not yet been chosen, this source said. Even presuming that the $4 billion for the bomber in the 2013 budget submission spread over five years is supplemented by a few billion more in the black budget that is not much money to build 80 to 100 planes that will cost at least $550 million each. Even if that is flyaway cost -- which excludes research and development costs -- building a bomber able to penetrate denied airspace and fly thousands of miles to do it without refueling has never been cheap.

[DBrow]

“Already nobody can stop a B-1B.”

Wow, I looked it up, and apparently we fly 100 of these? I don’t hear much about them. Saw one at an airshow.

[Steve Newton]

I disagree my FRiend. The B-52 has more than paid for itself and can still do things that modern systems cannot.

I can think of nothing more fearful than a B-52 dropping in anger.

[U-238]

By the time the B-52 reasches 2040 the plane would be 100 years old. We need new planes because we have new adversaries(the Chinese) and old ones(Russia) who investing heavily in their militaries. These new bombers would probably to be exoatmospheric and reach their targets within 5-15 minutes.

[U-238]

You also have to take in account the ever improving air defense networks that are getting more sophisicated every year.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Norm Lenhart]

I like the Rods from God idea. No bomber needed. And think it’s a joke people believe we or ‘they’ follow any ‘non-militrazation of space” treaties.

[U-238]

I like the Rods From the Gods satellite. Its a great idea that never really championed.

[U-238]

There is not really any “non-militairazation of space treaty”. The Soviet Union broke it the moment the ink dried.The programs just disguised itself into civilian programs

[Norm Lenhart]

Exactly.

[Norm Lenhart]

The tech is 1950s to make it reality. Modern comps could target it to insane precision. The only ‘cost’ is the payload getting a few dozen Tungsten phone poles into orbit.

Must be no profit in it for Defense Contractors.

But it sure would solve the Iran problem in 10 seconds with no fallout.

[chemicalman]

Sounds like something from a Dale Brown novel.

[Norm Lenhart]

Sice note I forgot to add from the railgun program:
“Velocitis Eradicum” - Speed destroys.

[U-238]

“Flight of the Old Dog”. Good Book and computer game.

[mosesdapoet]

Anybody here remember the B-58 (Hustler) the super sonic bomber that was supposed to release guided missles to where ever ? That concept is still around..Womder if ...kinda makes sence...Particularly used by small countries like Israel.. Where range is an important factor

[Eye of Unk]

Its nice to know that some projects are so deep that most presidents are never informed, especially one that will use it against America.

[Oztrich Boy]

By the time the B-52 reasches 2040 the plane would be 100 years old.

I was on the carrier when General Hap 'Doolittle' Schwarzenegger flew off a squadron of B-52s to bomb Toki Rio

[U-238]

It can make a difference.It was a fantastic plane.Unlike standard ejection seats of the period, a protective clamshell would enclose the seat and the control stick with an attached oxygen cylinder, allowing the pilot to continue to fly even “turtled up” and ready for immediate egress. If you want a good trivia question ,the B-58 was used in the original motion picture “FailSafe”in 1964.

[Nowhere Man]

By the time the B-52 reasches 2040 the plane would be 100 years old. We need new planes because we have new adversaries(the Chinese) and old ones(Russia) who investing heavily in their militaries. These new bombers would probably to be exoatmospheric and reach their targets within 5-15 minutes.

I don't think we will have such planes for a long time to come. It takes a lot of energy and money to get them into space, just think, you'd need the equivalent of a system that was used to launch a Gemini capsule using a Titan II missile. Also, when you get into space, the re-entry is rough as well. Basically. you'd have a new version of the Space Shuttle. Bombers need to be able to take off within a few minutes, something like this cannot be ready in that time although I do say it could be used for a first strike perhaps.

Really, when you think about it, airplane performance reached a plateau around 1960, an F-4 is just as fast and can do the same job as an F-22. True, the electronics and stealth have evolved further but again, you run into cost and logistics and IMHO, stealth is way overrated, it can be picked up by continuous wave radar which is very low tech, like the Chain Home system the UK had in WWII. There will be a point that even our adversaries will realize that logistics and costs will come into play as well, you can only afford so many SU-30's.

The B-52 will be around for a long time to come and I'm sure even the TU-95 Bear will be there too.

[U-238]

It takes 12 hours for the B-52 to reach their targets inside Russia. Do you think with the ever improving air defenses and fighter defenses they can reach their targets?

[chemicalman]

One of his newer books, “Executive Intent”, has the Mjolnir garages in orbit and they release tungsen rods. He has a great series of books.